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【bio-news】美科学家发现炭疽侵入细胞的入口
Newswise — The long-sought-after biological “gateway” that anthrax uses to enter healthy cells has been uncovered by microbiologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UA.
Anthrax spores enter the cell through something called Mac-1, a receptor that sits on the surface of certain cells.
This is the first study to uncover exactly how the bacteria get inside cells to begin with, the UAB researchers said. Previous studies have shown what happens after anthrax spores enter the body and wreak havoc.
Unraveling the anthrax-Mac-1 gateway is a milestone in the ongoing efforts to protect humans from bioterrorism and biological warfare, the UAB microbiologists said. Such a discovery will speed the development of new drugs and vaccines to fight or prevent anthrax infection, and advance the understanding of bacterial infection.
The findings are published in the online version of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and will soon appear in a print edition.
“We know anthrax infection can occur in wild and domestic animals, but in humans this disease is extremely rare and very dangerous. It is a bioweapon,” said John Kearney, Ph.D., a professor in the UAB Department of Microbiology and co-author on the study. “This study reveals the biological paradigm that makes the anthrax spore clever enough to target the Mac-1 receptor, and use this entry point to boost its lethality.”
Bacillus anthracis infection occurs in three forms: cutaneous (skin), inhalation and through swallowing spores. The skin infection is the most common type and can be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed rapidly.
The more serious form is inhalation anthrax, which was diagnosed in a few adults during the anthrax scare after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks against the United States.
In the UAB study, researchers worked under strict bio-safe conditions to infect cultures of cells and laboratory-bred mice with a strain of anthrax often used in research.
Infection rates and other observations were significant enough to convince the microbiologists anthrax relies on Mac-1 to do its damage inside healthy cells.
“By showing how anthrax spores recognize Mac-1 receptors, this discovery points toward a precise entry point which B. anthracis uses to proliferate and trigger lethal consequences,” said Claudia Oliva, Ph.D., and Melissa Swiecki, Ph.D., both researchers in the UAB Department of Microbiology and co-lead authors on the study.
Funding support for the study came from the National Institutes of Health. Anthrax Cellular Entry Point Uncovered
发现炭疽侵入细胞的入口
Newswise — The long-sought-after biological “gateway” that anthrax uses to enter healthy cells has been uncovered by microbiologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UA.
Newswise——炭疽热侵入健康细胞的生物学“大门”一直是研究的热点，终于被伯明翰的Alabama大学（UAB）发现。
Anthrax spores enter the cell through something called Mac-1, a receptor that sits on the surface of certain cells.
Mac-1，一个位于一些细胞表面的受体就是炭疽的芽孢侵入细胞的介体。
This is the first study to uncover exactly how the bacteria get inside cells to begin with, the UAB researchers said. Previous studies have shown what happens after anthrax spores enter the body and wreak havoc.
UAB的研究人员说，这还是第一次发现这个细菌是怎样开始进入细胞的。以前的研究都是关于芽孢进入细胞后对细胞的破坏。
Unraveling the anthrax-Mac-1 gateway is a milestone in the ongoing efforts to protect humans from bioterrorism and biological warfare, the UAB microbiologists said. Such a discovery will speed the development of new drugs and vaccines to fight or prevent anthrax infection, and advance the understanding of bacterial infection.
揭开炭疽—Mac-1通路对于力图挽救人类于生物恐怖主义和生物战祸害的当前来说是一个里程碑式的发现。这个发现还能加速预防或治疗炭疽热的药物的研发。
The findings are published in the online version of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and will soon appear in a print edition.
这个发现发表在网络版《美国国家科学院报》（PNAS）上，很快就将印刷出版。
“We know anthrax infection can occur in wild and domestic animals, but in humans this disease is extremely rare and very dangerous. It is a bioweapon,” said John Kearney, Ph.D., a professor in the UAB Department of Microbiology and co-author on the study. “This study reveals the biological paradigm that makes the anthrax spore clever enough to target the Mac-1 receptor, and use this entry point to boost its lethality.”
“我们知道炭疽热可以出现在野生和驯养的动物中，在人类虽然比较少见却是非常致命的。是一种生化武器，”UAB教授兼文章共同作者John Kearney博士说。“这个研究所揭示的生物学范例说明炭疽芽孢是多么狡猾，把Mac-1受体作为它的侵入靶点，以达到它的夺命目的。”
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2011-07-09 12:04
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